Pending payment by card
Once the card payment is made, the amount of the transaction remains pending until the retailer confirms the transaction or not.
Payment validation steps
During a payment, there are two mandatory steps for a transaction:
- Authorization (or pre-authorization): via Visa, the retailer's bank sends a payment authorization request to the bank of the card's holder (physical, contactless or virtual). The amount is then debited from the account and the payment "pending" confirmation.
- Confirmation: a few days later (usually 1 to 3 business days), the bank effectively transfers the funds from the customer's account to the retailer’s bank account.
Before a transaction has been confirmed, its amount can change and get lower, but also higher. In this case, the amount is updated in the transaction history and on the payment receipt.
The transaction was refused or cancelled
When a transaction that was pending ends up being cancelled after 24 hours, a refund will appear in the transaction history and on the payment receipt. Otherwise a cancelled payment is crossed-out.
A retailer may not cancel the authorization request, or we may not receive the transaction request. In this case, it will still appear pending in the transaction history.
If the transaction has been cancelled or hasn't been confirmed by the retailer, it will automatically be cancelled on the 11th day following the payment date (or the 31st day if it was a rental deposit).
When a retailer confirms they hav cancelled a payment authorization ongoing on the account but the transaction still appears pending in the history, we recommend reach out to customer service.
Common situations
Automated petrol pumps
A payment authorization of €120 is usually requested for a card payment at a petrol station,. This pending debit is applied before the first drops of petrol reach your tank. The €120 initially debited will then be adjusted to the actual payment amount in the 10 days following the transaction. Otherwise, the transaction is automatically cancelled after 10 days.
If the transaction ended up only costing €36, this amount is then actualized on the initial transaction receipt (available in-app) and the difference is recredited on the account that was initially debited.
Supermarket drive order
When making a supermarket drive order, a payment authorization of the amount of the order is requested. The payment is confirmed once the order is delivered or retrieved. During this time, the supermarket may actualize the amount of the order because of a missing article, for instance. In this case, the debited amount is then readjusted by the retailer and the account that was initially debited is recredited with the difference.
If the order cost €145 but a €10 article isn't available at the time of the delivery, the final amount of the transaction is adjusted to €135 and the account initially debited is recredited with the €10 difference.
Rental deposit
When renting a room or a car, a payment authorization of an amount defined by the professional is applied as a deposit. This amount appears as a debit on the customer's account and will be cancelled and recredited once the deposit is waived by the professional. With no confirmation from the professional, this transaction is automatically cancelled after 30 days.
